Card distributor



Jan. 5', 1932..

R. BOWLES CARD DISTRIBUTOR Filed April 1930 INVENTOR. R. ABoWlea a m ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 5, 1932 Iran STATES RAYMOND ARVELEE BOWLES, or oonuivrnus enonern CARD DISTRIBUTOR Application filed April 18, 1930.- Serial n5. 445,414.

This invention relates to a card distributor which may be, roughly speaking, in the form of a toy pistol and the object of the invention is to provide a card distributor that lends itself to cheap production and having a minimum number of parts. I

A further object of the invention is to so construct the apparatus that a card may be accurately directed and when propelled from the apparatus will continue for a considerable distance in the direction in which the apparatus is pointed.

Another object of the invention is to adapt the apparatus to propelling a card therefrom without giving the card a swirling or rotary motion so that it may be dispelled a maximum distance with a given force.

With these and other objects in view, I will now describe my invention in connection with the following drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation,

Figure 2 is a plan view, I I

Figure 3 a sectional View on the line 33 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4: a perspective view of my apparatus with a card properly located therein.

1 represents what might be called the barrel of the apparatus. This is constructed economically from wood having a deep vertical groove 2 extending from end to end thereof and open at both ends with a depth approximately three-fourthsthe depth of the barrel. When the apparatus is made from wood this groove may easily be made by an ordinary grooving machine.

I provide a second groove or slot 3 disposed in a plane at right angles to the groove 2. This groove is open at its rear and extends a little more than one-half the distance of the first groove terminating in a wall 1, leaving a portion of the material above the groove 3 terminating at its rear end in a wall 5. The.

horizontal slot 3 intersects the vertical groove 2 a short distance above the bottom of the latter.

At the forward end of the barrel 1 I saw out a shallow groove or notch 6 adapted to hold a. rubber band 7, the rubber band when unstretched extending from the inner end of the groove 6 to the inner end of the groove 3.

I preferably make the lower end of the barrel of the shape shown in Figure 4, that is rounded at its lower surface and having a projection-9 to fit into the top of a block 10 cut out to receive the projection 9, the block 10 serving as a handle for the apparatus.

I also provide a'pin 12 extending across the groove 2 to serve as a convenient stop against which an advertising card 14 may be inserted in the groove 1.

From the foregoing it is obvious how the device may be'used by a card distributor. As he walks along a sidewalk he stretches the rubber to the position shown in Figures 1 and 4 and places the card 14 in the groove 1, aims the device and with his thumb pulls down the rubber 7 so that it will snap forwardly in they groove 3 impelling the card from the groove 2 into a door or some place where the card distributor desires to deposit the card. As the lower part ofthe card extends into the lower part of the vertical groove 2 below the horizontal slot 3, the elastic band moving in the slot engages the rear edge of the card consid-' erably above the lower edge of the card and is 'preventedfrom slipping beneath the card during the propelling operation.

It is apparent from the above description that this device may beused as a toy as well as a card distributor. Its construction lends itself to economic manufacture since the barrel may be made from a piece of wood with the described groove sawed out and the handle may be attached by simply inserting the projection 9 in the corresponding groove in the handle and glued therein at a minimum expense.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is:

A card distributor or toy comprising a barrel portion having a vertical groove extending along its upper part from end to end to provide a guide-way for a card placed on edge therein, said barrel portion having a horizontal slot extending through its rear and intermediate parts and intersecting the vertical groove above the bottom of the latter, said slot being open at its rear end and closed at its front end by a wall formed by the forward part of the barrel, said barrel having a transverse notch in its front end, a stop in the rear part of the barrel extending across the vertical groove above the horizontal slot to position a card in the groove preliminary to discharge therefrom, and an elastic band engaged in the notch and rearwardly extending through the horizontal slot, said band in operation being stretched to engage the rear end of the barrel to be held thereby until displaced to enter the horizontal slot to project the previously positioned card'along the vertical groove.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

RAYMOND ARVELEEBOWLES. 

